Crystal Ball
by oneiromancer242
Summary: Magda gives Erik something very precious to take care of.


**The last in the series of character pieces which also includes "Best I Can", "Pinball Wizard" and "Momma Bear" - Xavier's Academy welcomes its newest student back, Magda has a point to make, and Erik tries to get to grips with feelings.**

 _"I did try to warn you_ "

Charles' voice drifts through Erik's mind as he stands in the doorway of the study, mouth slightly open. True that the telepath had tried to tell him that he should wait just one moment before he opened the door, but waiting was not Erik's forte, and neither was listening to Charles.

Which was a shame, really, because Charles usually knew best. Not that Erik would ever admit that to anybody.

With the rest of the school either using their study time or taking the opportunity to get out of the mansion for a while, only a few of them had been around when Erik's son had finally come back, and for once he'd made a quiet and unhurried entrance. Marched straight up to Hank's lab to get checked over before Xavier would allow him anywhere near training, Erik had only heard that he was around, not yet seen him. He had thought that Charles' nagging voice in the back of his mind was just the interfering Professor trying to warn him that his wayward offspring was waiting in the study, but as it transpired, the situation was much less pleasant.

Magda didn't smile, and she didn't sit in either of the large, comfortable wing back chairs. Only gave him a hard look as he entered.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. She didn't flinch.

"So good to see you too" she snapped back, "I won't stay long. I wanted to talk to you before I went home"

"Then sit down and talk. I don't have all day"

"I'm fine here"

She folded her arms, standing with her weight on one foot in a way that reminded Erik of someone else far too forcefully. Slowly, Magda reached into her bag and withdrew a small glittering object. She held it up for him to see then set it carefully on the desk, a little multifaceted orb that he could see from here was hollow and formed from only the thinnest layer of crystal.

"That's for you" she explained, turning the crystal sphere slowly so that its facets caught the light, sending off shoots of sparkling reflections in every colour. "I want you to keep it here always"

"Why are you giving me a gift?" he asked warily

"I'm not. I'm giving you a warning" she folded her arms again. "I brought our son back to the Academy this morning, thought it would be a nice change for him instead of someone showing up to take him away. I'm leaving him here with you and Professor Xavier, and I'm trusting you both with him. Mostly you"

"I'm not sure I follow"

Magda picked up the little crystal sphere again and held it out to him

"This is very delicate, even if it looks strong. It's beautiful, but if you leave it in the dark you'll never see how beautiful it is. You could crush it easily, but if you treat it right it will be lovely and precious forever. And you can't control it"

She took hold of one of his hands and placed the orb in his palm, folding his fingers around it gently.

"You take good care of our son, Erik Lensherr. And don't ever forget what you did to us"

He snorted at that, almost laughed bitterly

"What I did to _you_? I –"

"I didn't say me." There was pure steel in her face now, "I said to _us_. You left us to find our way when I had no idea what was going on with those babies. You left us with a girl who blows the fuses in the whole house when she doesn't get her own way and a boy I thought was going to drop dead if he didn't slow down. You left me with two of your kind and expected them to be fine amongst mine, even knowing what you do you still did that."

She leaned in, placed her hand over his where he still held the crystal sphere

"I know you had another family, Erik, and I'm sorry about what happened. But that doesn't mean you didn't still have this one. You don't get to choose when to be a father."

Later, Erik would watch from the window of the study whilst Magda gave her son a long, tight hug goodbye, stood on tiptoe to kiss him softly on the cheek and run her hands through his hair one last time. She didn't look up at the window before she climbed into the waiting car, and Peter didn't watch it drive away. He would wonder how love and affection came so naturally to Magda, when for him it was a hard frozen thing which he had to unearth from under Nina's bones, from beneath strata of fierce loathing. He would pick up the crystal sphere and turn it toward the light, marvelling at the delicate beauty of it and how it would flare a sudden, bright silver when the full light would strike just right.

Later still, he would go down to the recreation room to see amongst the students his boy playing table tennis with Kurt Wagner, switching ends at random as they each fought to outpace the other, that sweet cocky grin back in place on Peter's face. He never seemed happier than when he was showing off. Catching the lad's eye and beckoning him over, Erik ran his tongue over his suddenly parched lips

"Whaddya want?" the boy asked, "Can it be quick? I nearly beat Kurt's highscore"

"I.." Erik paused, brought his eyes up to meet the deep chocolate-coloured ones that probably got him whatever he wanted out of his mother, "it's good to see you back, Peter"

A little frown from the boy at that, skeptical and slightly confused

"That it?"

"Yes. Yes.. that's everything"

"K, later Dadneto" the boy was back at the tennis table before he had blinked, startling Erik a little when he had suddenly been back in front of him, "By the way, you're being really weird"

The teleport-vs-speed match resumed as Erik shook his head and walked back to his study.

He was never going to understand that boy.

 **A/N Erik is so bad at the feels... But I kind of love him for that.**


End file.
